Looking for a way to breathe new life into your office space?
Or maybe you’ve moved your company to a new workspace and want to know how you can stamp your business’ personality on it? Look no further, as in this blog post we will be exploring all of the ways that you can upgrade with office graphics and eye catching office feature walls, allowing you to add character to your corporate home in next to no time.
Why Office Graphics are Important
With remote working and hybrid models at an all time high, you might think that it would be foolish to invest in updating your office space. While the colour of a wall or the design of a hallway may not be directly linked to the literal output of your company, it can work in other, subtler, ways at enhancing your business.
Positive first impressions
At a basic level, an office space should be inviting, for employees as much as any visitors or potential clients that may stop by. If your office is a place that your clients visit, you should make sure that it provides the best first impression possible – and signage, including feature walls, plays a big part in this.
An office that is decorated with your brand colours, values and imagery gives the impression of longevity and permanence that a generic, undecorated office simply cannot. By decorating your office you are portraying that your business is well established and settled, something that most potential clients would be on the lookout for. An office that looks as though it could have potentially moved in yesterday could set alarm bells off for some cautious customers.
A welcoming workplace for employees
When we say a decorated workspace, we are not simply talking about tins of emulsion and a second-hand sofa in the break room. We are talking about considered, branded graphics and design that match your company, and clearly sets the space within as yours. There are multiple steps you can take to make sure your office space is a comfortable and inviting place to work in, ranging from ensuring ample natural light to avoid eye strain, to adding some plants to help with air quality. There are also methods of decoration that can improve your employees mood, along with their wellbeing.
People want to feel good about going to work, and while the actual work they do (and the satisfaction this gives them) will be a big part of this, feeling seen and cared for as well as being proud of where they work can play a large part in it too. It’s typically corporate businesses such as branding/creative agencies or tech firms that are associated with this kind of approach to office design, but it applies to almost every industry.
Research has demonstrated how working environments can impact job performance, mood, productivity and creativity. It doesn’t take much to realise that dingy blank walls aren’t going to inspire many people. Plus, after the shakeup of the talent market in recent years, people are actively seeking out these kinds of workspaces too. In a recent study, 81% of potential employees said that they judge a role on its location when they went in for an interview, and considering that we spend a third of our adult lives at work, it’s not surprising that they want to spend it in a nice environment.
Helps to set and maintain company branding
The types of graphics you use to fill the blank spaces within your office are naturally up to you, but they generally fall under two categories: informational or decorative.
Both of these can be made to complement your branding by including your company colours or other brand assets such as your logo, name and slogans. Even informative graphics, such as wayfinding signs or room plaques, can be made to match your brand font choices, colours, or even tone of voice – if it suits the persona of your business. Most offices will need at least a few of these kinds of graphics, and while many will already have them supplied by facility management, why use run-of-the-mill signage when you could use it as an opportunity to reinforce your ethos and energy to your team and customers? (That said, be mindful that some signage – such as fire exit signs – are a legal requirement, so not everything is suitable for custom designs!)
On the other side of the coin, decorative graphics such as office feature walls can do so much more than simply brighten a wall up. Look at how Costa Coffee fitted out their basildon offices for a great example of wall graphics going a long way to making a space unmistakably on-brand.
You could opt for imagery and text that conveys your company ethos, such as a quote from an inspiring person that suits your industry, or include imagery – either of the work that you do or that is associated with how you want your business to appear. You want your graphics to match and display your brand’s character, either literally or subliminally.
The use of office graphics (along with colour and style matching desks, chairs and other furniture) is becoming more popular, almost to the point that it is expected of certain industry workplaces, especially within the creative fields. How your office appears is also something to consider if your social media plan includes video or photo content from inside your office space – it can be far more impactful to showcase your entire workspace, rather than a small corner you’ve isolated as the most aesthetic.
Differentiate areas within an office
Because they usually house a group of people for a large portion of the daytime, offices normally have to serve more than one purpose. Meeting rooms, waiting areas, break rooms and kitchen areas, and even separate offices all commonly take up space alongside open plan areas. Office graphics can be used to differentiate these spaces, creating a sense of separation and space, even within a largely open plan setting.
How an office feature wall can improve your workspace
If your space is limited or your budget is tight, you can tick most of the boxes above by investing in a single wall of graphics. Known as a feature wall, they draw the eye, and can be a fantastic way to make an impact without redesigning your entire workplace. Placement of the feature wall can help it work its magic too: by placing it directly opposite the waiting area, or against a back wall that customers or clients all pass by, you are essentially creating an advert for your business that will consistently be viewed.
Feature walls could consist of a number of things, but they usually include either stunning imagery with which to decorate a space and break up an otherwise simple room, or important and valuable brand identity information that you want to convey.
(One example of how a feature wall can be made to work hard for your company could be a montage wall of past projects and success stories, as these will literally spell out to whoever is looking at it that you get things done, and get them done well.)
Other office graphics to consider
Traditional office space – particularly when it is rented – is usually a bit bland, or at the very least typically consists of muted colours, so that it will work well with any prospective business. Think of it as a blank canvas to show the world what your company is all about – and there are so many more ways to do that than just office feature walls:
Frosted glass / window graphics
If your workspace has windows that look out over busy streets or other windows, it can help to get frosted glass or window graphics to provide a level of privacy and a way to limit distractions (not to mention glass manifestations are often a legal requirement, too!).
These could be made to work twice as hard too, if you opt for a Contravision product, as you could have images on the outside serving as branding or adverts to passersby, while still allowing for light to come in when viewed from the inside.
Wall vinyl graphics
Vinyls can be a quick and effective way to brighten up an otherwise empty wall in your office, and are easily installed and removed, making them a perfect solution for short term lets, or if a space could be altered in the future, such as to make way for more desks as your enterprise grows.
Standout Signage
Sometimes you want something a little more special to take pride of place within your office. You could opt for a sign that is a bit more ‘high end’ as this can imply a level of success and permanence. These could take many forms, but are usually a more elegant version of the main signage outside of your building, such as a company name made up of 3D metal letters sitting above your reception desk, serving as the first thing that any visitor sees upon entering (thus setting a great first impression).
Alternatively, you could opt for a large neon sign that spells out a phrase or slogan associated with the company or workforce, and will keep the space looking and feeling fun and contemporary.
Medash Signs have decades of experience in creating eye-catching graphics for offices all over the country, and are here to offer our expertise in creating whatever you and your office needs. Whether it’s an attractive office feature wall, comical way-finding signs for your hallways, high quality photographic prints for a waiting room or perfectly-cut vinyl text to snake its way throughout your office – get in touch today to get started.